What sometimes happens is the "creative person" at the credit union will be given the marketing job and the whole process ends up disjointed, Elliott explained.

"The coaching I do in every case is to take a look at your business plan, see where you want your growth and then decide on a concept," Elliott said. "Sometimes, CEOs don't have time for all of that."

Since Blitz rolled out in 2007, 22 credit unions have signed on including $62 million Delta County Credit Union. Founded in 1960 in Escanaba, Mich. as Delta Catholic CU, the financial institution serves nearly 10,000 members. Last year, it introduced a new logo and opened up its first school branch. Delta County is hoping its current Blitz campaign will increase penetration of debit cards and checking accounts, said Brenda Lippens, general manager.

"We will begin promoting this in the newspapers and on the radio as well," Lippens said. "I'm sure this will have a positive impact…"

Before even launching a marketing campaign, Elliott said the early discussions are critical to determine outreach. Some CEOs are very hands-on bringing detailed plans to the table. Others are more flexible leaning on Elliott and her team for suggestions. A recent poll of clients revealed that most wanted marketing efforts centered on more auto loans, home equity line or a checking account that highlights an accompanying debit card. A handful asked about doing versions to reach out to the Hispanic community.

"There have been a few (CEOs) where we make suggestions like 'do an auto loan in the spring.' I'll lay it out so they can make quicker decisions," Elliott said. "But then others want it really customized. The problem with too much customization is you can't establish rates unless we're talking individual retirement accounts in January."

Elliott, a former chief operating officer at a credit union with more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, considers her areas of expertise in strategic, scenario and business planning, quality process management, staff development and training. She was responsible for creating and organizing Reach for More, a national strategic marketing conference for financial executives. TAG Marketing has also helped credit unions explore the formation of CUSOs and improve existing CUSO performance.

One of the challenges with marketing comes from those CEOs who say they didn't see a lot of results from a particular campaign, Elliott said. The other "frustrating" thing is CEOs not having the time to actually track results. They're hard working and their to-do list is endless, she added.

"We'll ask how did they introduce [the campaign] to staff. Did you set up a reward systems and offer goals?" Elliott said. "We would like to teach them how to do all of this."

Elliott gives a standing ovation to Randy Karnes, CEO of CU*Answers, for believing that the Blitz program is a viable one. This year, the partnership is aiming to double clientele, concentrate making marketing campaigns successful through internal marketing, and reach out to more Hispanic markets.

To this end, TAG has conducted workshops on campaign tracking as well as getting the staff to buy into the motivation behind a new marketing effort. For smaller credit unions, size should not be a limitation to what they can do, Elliott said.

"I truly believe that there is a place for smaller credit unions but they can not be complacent," Elliott said. "To do e-mail marketing or starting a call center, those are some great things to start with. It's a different way of thinking (for smaller credit unions)."

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